Price, born in Perryville, Texas, served with the U.S. Marines from 1944–1946, and began singing for KRBC in Abilene, Texas during 1948. He joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949. He relocated to Nashville in the early 1950s, rooming for a brief time with Hank Williams. When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys, and had minor success. He was the first artist to have a success with the song "Release Me" (1954), a top five popular music hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price formed his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Among its members during the late 1950s and early 1960s were; Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Van Howard, Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Bush, Buddy Emmons, Pete Wade, Jan Kurtis, Shorty Lavender and Buddy Spicher. Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classics in 1958, "Invitation to the Blues", and sang harmony on the recording. Additionally, Nelson composed the Ray Price song "Night Life".
Price became one of the stalwarts of 1950s honky tonk music, with hit songs such as "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me". He later developed the famous "Ray Price Shuffle," a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk music with a walking bassline, which can be heard on "Crazy Arms" (1956) and many of his other recordings from the late 1950s.
During the 1960s, Ray experimented increasingly with the so-called Nashville sound, singing slow ballads and utilizing lush arrangements of strings and backing singers. Examples include his 1967 rendition of "Danny Boy", and "For the Good Times" in 1970 which was Price's first country music chart No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me" in 1959. Written by Kris Kristofferson, the song also scored No. 11 on the popular music chart and featured a mellower Price backed by sophisticated musical sounds, quite in contrast to the honky tonk sounds Price had pioneered two decades before. Price had three more No. 1 country music successes during the 1970s: "I Won't Mention It Again", "She's Got To Be A Saint", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." His final top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in early 1982. Price continued to have songs on the country music chart through 1989. Later, he sang gospel music and recorded such songs as "Amazing Grace", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Farther Along" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2006, Price was living near Mount Pleasant, Texas and still performing in concerts throughout the country. In 2009, Price made two performances for the Fox News show Huckabee. The first was with the Cherokee Cowboys and host Mike Huckabee, and he performed "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number". Weeks later he performed with the Cherokee Cowboys and Willie Nelson (again with Huckabee playing bass guitar). This time they performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy."
Price worked on his latest album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country music singers Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album was released on March 20, 2007 by the company Lost Highway Records. The two-disc set features 20 country classics as well as a pair of new compositions. The trio toured the U.S. from March 9 until March 25 starting in Arizona and finishing in Illinois. This was Price's third album with Nelson and first album with Haggard. After the tour, Haggard remarked, "I told Willie when it was over, 'That old man gave us a goddamn singing lesson.' He really did. He just sang so good. He sat there with the mic against his chest. And me and Willie are all over the microphone trying to find it, and he found it."
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price confirmed that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. Price told the San Antonio Express-News that he had been receiving chemotherapy for the past six months. An alternative to the chemo would have been surgery that involved removing the pancreas along with portions of the stomach and liver, which would have meant a long recovery and stay in a nursing home. Said Price, "That's not very much an option for me. God knows I want to live as long as I can but I don't want to live like that." The 87-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer also told the newspaper, "The doctor said that every man will get cancer if he lives to be old enough. I don't know why I got it – I ain't old!" Price retained a positive outlook and hoped to play as many as a hundred concert dates in 2013.
As of early February 2013, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Sometime in May 2013, Price was hospitalized with severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, Price entered a Tyler, Texas, hospital in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, according to his son, then left on December 12 for home hospice care. Price died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.
Hang Your Head in Shame
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to think of all that I've gone through and hang your head in shame
Someone came along and took my place then you gave me all the blame
You should go somewhere and hide your face and hang your head in shame
[ fiddle - steel ]
When you said I was the only one twas just your little game
Try to think of all the harm you've done and hang your head in shame
I should hate you but I love you still in my heart I've kept the flame
The lyrics to Ray Price's song "Hang Your Head in Shame" tell a story of betrayal and heartbreak. The singer, who has been replaced by someone else, is urging their former lover to feel remorse for the pain they have caused. The opening lines, "Oh don't your conscience ever bother you everytime you hear my name," suggest that the singer's former lover is haunted by their actions and the memories of their past relationship. The lyrics go on to describe the pain and hurt that the singer has experienced, which they blame on their former lover's actions. The chorus, "Try to think of all that I've gone through and hang your head in shame," is a plea for empathy and understanding.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of forgiveness. Despite the hurt that has been caused, the singer admits that they still love their former lover: "I should hate you but I love you still in my heart I've kept the flame." However, the final lines of the chorus, "You'll be sorry darling yes you will and hang your head in shame," suggest that forgiveness will not come easily or quickly.
Overall, "Hang Your Head in Shame" is a powerful song about the pain of betrayal and the long road to forgiveness. Ray Price's emotive vocal delivery perfectly captures the song's complex mix of anger, hurt, and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh don't your conscience ever bother you everytime you hear my name
Do you not feel guilty every time my name comes up?
Try to think of all that I've gone through and hang your head in shame
Reflect on the suffering I've endured because of you and feel ashamed of yourself
Someone came along and took my place then you gave me all the blame
You replaced me with someone else but still held me responsible for the problems in our relationship
You should go somewhere and hide your face and hang your head in shame
You ought to hide from the world out of embarrassment and remorse
[ fiddle - steel ]
Instrumental break
When you said I was the only one twas just your little game
Your claim that I was your only love was nothing more than a deceitful ploy
Try to think of all the harm you've done and hang your head in shame
Contemplate the damage you caused and feel a sense of disgrace
I should hate you but I love you still in my heart I've kept the flame
Although I should despise you, I still have feelings for you and have preserved those emotions in my heart
You'll be sorry darling yes you will and hang your head in shame
You'll eventually regret your actions and feel humiliated because of them
Contributed by Isabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.